Block Party 2023
The Block Party is an all ages annual concert series coordinated by Bluewater Health Foundation. It has grown from an intimate 500 guest event on a Friday evening in 2016 to a two day festival. This year's Block Party is proudly supported by the Carpenters Local 1256. The event will feature a capacity of 2,500 guests per night, local craft beer and other refreshments, food and artisans from across Lambton County.
The 2023 Block Party will support Mental Health & Addictions at Bluewater Health. Locally, these services are much needed by both our adult and child/adolescent population, as we continue to see an increase in mental health and addictions related issues and diagnoses in our community. Over the last seven years, the Block Party has successfully raised over $160,000 in support of these services at Bluewater Health.
This year's Block Party will feature:
Friday
6:15 - Town Hall Revival
7:30 - Jagged
9:00 - Pearl Jamming
10:30 - Grace 2
Saturday
6:30 – Bad Men Association
8:00 – The Beaches
10:00 – July Talk
JULY TALK
The basic structural facts of rock band July Talk are this: two front people, Leah Fay Goldstein and Peter Dreimanis, surrounded by whiplashing guitarists Ian Docherty and Josh Warburton, and double drummers Danny Miles and Dani Nash. For this compulsively DIY, rigorously self-realizing group, the essence of July Talk has always been the tension between precision and chaos.
What goes on between these bodies, in that kinetic, staticky, sticky space, is where the truth of July Talk takes shape. On stage, July Talk unfurls and explodes. The action pings from slo-motion commotion to back-bendy communion, fluid (as in bodily) and liquid (as in the dark goo phase of metamorphosis). Things get weird, occasionally grotesque, always enthralling.
Even in the stark orderliness of black and white, July Talk has always been a work in progress. More accurately, it’s a work of progress, a communal pursuit of limitlessness as a mode of being. For a decade, July Talk has continued in its relentless project to know itself, a fundamental baseline from which to access raw ecstasy and agony. With Remember Never Before, the most potently yet inventively “July Talk” album yet, the band returns - changed - to where they began.
THE BEACHES
Named appropriately after the Toronto neighbourhood they all hail and hang in, The Beaches are authentically rock ‘n’ roll. Their ‘70s aesthetic, unapologetic attitude and electrifying sound all fit harmoniously in a modern rock context. Comprised of sisters Jordan and Kylie Miller (on lead vocals/bass and guitar, respectively), Eliza Enman-McDaniel (on drums), and Leandra Earl (on keys and guitar), the band has a natural kismet that shines through on each track and in their live performances. The Beaches have become one of Canada’s top acts with a global reach, placing them in a modern and future context where rock prevails and marking them one of this generation’s most promising young rock groups.
Since their sizzling major label debut in 2017 with LP, Late Show, produced by Metric's Emily Haines and Jimmy Shaw, the quartet has accumulated an array of impressive highlights. To this day, Late Show's singles remain fan and Rock radio favourites. The album's first single, “Money,” secured the No.1 spot for three consecutive weeks and the infectious track “T-Shirt,” which spent nine weeks on the Billboard Rock Chart, recently became Gold Certified in Canada. With five Top 5 Alt Radio singles, a JUNO Award for Breakthrough Group of the Year, opening tour spots for icons like The Rolling Stones and The Foo Fighters, and much more – this is just the beginning of what The Beaches have in store. “T-Shirt,” “Fascination,” and “Snake Tongue” remain regular recurrent tracks on Canadian Rock Radio today.
Their latest 5-track EP, Future Lovers, was released on May 14, 2021. Produced by long-time collaborator Jacknife Lee and written by all four band members, Lee and Coco Morier, Future Lovers was initially recorded in Los Angeles during sessions for the band’s 2019 release, The Professional. Future Lovers highlights the band’s impressive musicianship and song-writing skills, which are complemented, as always, by the killer vocals and whimsically acerbic lyrics that The Beaches are known and loved for. Garnering rave reviews from Toronto Star, Exclaim, CBC Music and many more, Future Lovers brims with the band’s wit and personality, which is heard loud and clear on each track – from the energetic bop-ready “Blow Up,” anthemic “Let’s Go,” the nostalgic guitar-driven “Bad Behaviour,” the cheeky infatuated synth-track “Slow Mo,” and the heavy and pensively powerful finale, “You Don’t Owe Me Anything.”
Gaining recognition from the world's most renowned artists, including the likes of Elton John, who has proclaimed: “Love them, love them, love them!”, The Beaches are back and have no plans to slow down. And when touring comes back, expect The Beaches to hit the road hard. Stay tuned for much more to come in 2021.
About - Bluewater Health Foundation
Bluewater Health Foundation was established in 2003 and envisions a healthy community sustained through a culture of generosity. The Foundation aims to create, inspire and cultivate expressions of generosity to equip Bluewater Health in its care for the community. To see how your donation can help make a difference toward your community hospital, visit bwhf.ca.
Gates for the all-ages, licensed event open at 6:00 p.m.
Rain or Shine
No Refunds
No Re-entry
No Smoking
No Outside Food or Drinks
No Backpacks or Large Bags
No Lawn Chairs in VIP
19+ ID Required for Alcohol Purchase
Lambton Public Health guidelines will be followed
Local Accomodations
Need a place to crash after the show? Special rate for Block Party ticket holders available at Four Points Hotel & Conference Center Sarnia/Point Edward, currently known as Sunbridge Hotel & Conference Center. Call 519-336-4130 and reference “Block Party 2023”.
